RAPS in the Media

Regional Animal Protection Society opens new veterinary hospital

People and dogs alike celebrated the opening of a new animal hospital in Richmond for critters in the care of the Regional Animal Protection Society on Monday.

Animals in the city’s shelters and will get looked after at the new clinic. Some animals, like cats at a local cat sanctuary, spend their whole lives in RAPS’ care while others are looking to be adopted.

“First and foremost … anything that needs to be done we can do here,” said RAPS president Fearn Edmonds.

New animal hospital gets large loan

Vancity partners with RAPS to open new regional facility at Richmond Auto Mall

A new Richmond animal hospital that will help furry friends from across the region is a step closer to completion, thanks to a large financial commitment from Vancity.

The credit union has provided $650,000 in financing to the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) to renovate and equip a new animal shelter and vet clinic at the Richmond Auto Mall. The 6,000-sq.-ft. space is being provided free of charge for six years by Applewood Nissan, which also donated a new $60,000 van to RAPS.

After the renos are completed, it’s expected the new hospital will be ready to open in November.

“I’m excited to talk about this,” said Eyal Lichtmann, executive director of RAPS.

RAPS name change is official

It’s official. RAPS – Richmond’s animal shelter – has changed its name and is now called the “Regional” Animal Protection Society.

British Columbia’s Registrar of Companies this week approved a change of name for the old Richmond Animal Protection Society.

“The change represents the reality that we serve animals from far beyond the City of Richmond, many of whom come to us because of our no-kill commitment,” said Eyal Lichtmann, CEO of the now Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS).

Who Would Abandon a Poodle in a Locked Suitcase?

When Graham Barrett heard thumping and muffled movement from some underbrush, he found something he couldn’t quite believe.

Someone had locked a little dog in a suitcase and left him there to die.

Barrett was walking his own dogs in Richmond, British Columbia, when he heard the odd noises. He poked around in some underbrush and found a hard-shell blue and black suitcase. From the whimpering inside, it was obvious an animal was trapped in there — on the hottest day of the year so far.

Last Sunday, Graham Barrett was walking his two dogs through the woods near Richmond in British Columbia, Canada, when he noticed something odd. They had wandered past a ravine, and Barrett noticed a blue and black suitcase behind some bushes.

“He was dehydrated, and he was covered in urine and feces,” Eyal Lichtmann, CEO and executive director of Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS), told The Dodo. “[Barrett] immediately gave him some water and some food, and then the police brought the dog to us.”

Tiny poodle found 'cruelly' dumped in locked suitcase in Richmond

A small poodle is recovering after being found dumped in a locked suitcase on Sunday.

The pup, dubbed Donut by shelter staff because of his sweetness, is friendly and in good health, despite being trapped inside the hard-sided, carry-on sized suitcase for up to six hours on one of the hottest days of the year.

A Good Samaritan in Richmond called RCMP for help after finding the case in a wooded ditch near Alderbridge and No 4 Road.

Dog Found Locked In Suitcase And Dumped In Ditch In Richmond, B.C.

The RCMP and B.C. SPCA are investigating after a poodle was found locked in a suitcase and dumped in a wooded area in Richmond.

A passerby heard noises coming from a ditch near Alderbridge and No. 4 Road in the Nature Park area, near the new Walmart development. Upon closer inspection, the person found a hard-shelled suitcase and pried it open.

Poodle ‘In Good Health’ After Found Locked Inside Discarded Suitcase

A dog walker is credited with finding the little animal, since named Donut.

A poodle is lucky to be alive after a good Samaritan found him locked inside a suitcase discarded off a road in Canada over the weekend, authorities said.

The tiny animal, since named Donut, was heard crying inside the blue, hard-shelled luggage on Sunday by a dog walker in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) said Monday.

Little dog found in double-locked suitcase on hottest day of year

Toy poodle named Donut by animal shelter staff is alive and doing very well

Walking his two dogs close to Richmond’s Walmart late on Sunday afternoon, Graham Barrett’s attention was diverted to a weird bumping and scraping noise coming from the undergrowth.

It was the hottest day of the year so far and, as Barrett peered through the weeds that had grown next to an under-construction townhouse complex, he was perturbed by what he saw – a double-padlocked, medium-sized suitcase, with its contents moving around.

Cute poodle found dumped in locked suitcase on hottest day of the year

How in heck could someone have done this?

Police and animal-welfare officials are investigating after a cute poodle was found inside a locked suitcase dumped in a ditch in a suburb of Vancouver, Canada.

According to a report on the website of the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS), police delivered the dog to the shelter after a passerby heard it crying in a hard-shell piece of baggage on Sunday.

Poodle found locked in suitcase, abandoned in Richmond woods

A poodle that was found locked in a suitcase and abandoned in the woods has sparked an investigation by the Richmond RCMP and B.C. SPCA cruelty investigations team.

“The dog was brought to the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) animal shelter on Sunday night by a pair of RCMP officers after it was discovered in a wooded area of Richmond by a person out for a walk.

“It was a hard-shelled suitcase in the middle of the woods in a ditch. The suitcase was double locked … the person purposely locked the suitcase and it had to be broken into,” said Eyal Lichtmann, CEO of RAPS.

SPCA and RCMP investigating after dog found locked in suitcase in Richmond

Animal advocates say they’re horrified after a dog was found locked in a suitcase in Richmond.

Eyal Lichtmann, CEO of the Richmond Animal Protection Society says the male poodle was brought to his group by the RCMP Sunday afternoon.

“The dog had been found by an individual out for a walk in a wooded area of Richmond and heard some noise and found the dog in a hard cased suitcase that was double locked,” he says.

Lichtmann says its not clear how long the dog was in that condition, but that RAPS’ medical team has taken over. tdon’t know how long the dog was in the suitcase, but it has since been treated by RAPS’ medical staff.

CBC Vancouver - Meow!

40 cats at the Richmond cat sanctuary are in need of homes.

The Richmond Cat Sanctuary is a home for unadaptable cats but thanks to some TLC, some cats are now ready for a new home. The sanctuary houses over 450 cats. Many are feral, and will never be fit to be someone’s pet.

Proposed animal hospital to help fund animal care

The Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) announced Tuesday (April 25) a significant shift in the organization’s direction that has the potential to get a lot of tails wagging in delight.

According to RAPS’ CEO and executive director, Eyal Lichtmann, the organization is on its way to a self-sufficient and hopefully financially independent future with plans to open its own veterinary hospital that will not only look after animals under RAPS’ care, but provide a service for paying customers.

B.C.-based dog whisperer to rehab Great Dane rescued by 9/11 first responder

To understand a dog, James Tsai starts with the eyes.

“I can see the depth of their soul,” said Tsai, of the photos owners have sent him, asking for his advice on their canine companions.

After inspecting the eyes, Tsai moves on to the dog’s face and then examines the body, their muscles, how they carry themselves. Without meeting a dog in person and simply by searching for visual clues, Tsai says he’s about 80-per-cent accurate in determining a dog’s temperament, their personality, what ailments they struggle with and how best to nurture the dog.

Dog burned in Richmond fire healing, but needs months of care

A dog who received severe burns to her face, belly and paws last month in Richmond is recovering well, but still needs months of care.

Isabelle, a pit bull terrier mix, was stuck inside the trailer she’d been staying in when it went up in flames the week before Christmas. She eventually found her way out, but received second- and third-degree burns as a result.

Her case was “one of the most severe” a Richmond Animal Hospital veterinarian had ever seen, the vet told CTV News in December, adding that it was remarkable that the dog had survived at all.

Isabelle – Definitely a fighter

Isabelle is “definitely a fighter,” her veterinarian says, but the pit bull terrier mix needs help after being badly burned in a fire.

The injured pup received second- and third-degree burns the week before Christmas when the trailer she’d been staying in went up in flames.

Two dogs were caught in the Dec. 20 fire. One escaped with minor injuries, but Isabelle was initially trapped. Eventually, she managed to escape the wreckage, but she was left with burns on her paws, belly, chest and face.

Pit bull burned in fire needs your help to survive

Isabelle the pit bull suffered second-degree burns in a fire just days before Christmas.

Isabelle the pit bull suffered second-degree burns in a fire just days before Christmas. Her owner is homeless and unable to afford the mounting vet bills. As Kristin Robinson reports there’s now a public appeal for help – and time is of the essence.

Richmond animal shelter launches appeal to help burned dog

Richmond’s animal shelter is asking for donations to help continue a dog’s fight for survival after it was badly burned in a trailer fire.

The Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) has been looking after pit-bull terrier Isabelle, who suffered second degree burns to her paws, belly, chest and face during the blaze at her owner’s trailer in the 17,000 block of River Road — near No. 8 Road — just before midnight on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Moments earlier, Lichtmann had been thrust in front of yet another TV camera to field questions about a dog called Yogi, in the care of the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS), who is seemingly on death row after a mauling incident last week in a local park.

Operating daily in Richmond's no-kill zone

Richmond Animal Shelter lives and breathes by its policy to keep animals alive if they have a chance of being fit and healthy

Sixty-eight cats, 77 rabbits, 25 small creatures, four farmyard dwellers and 122 dogs, 106 of which currently reside in foster homes across Richmond.

As the News and members of the public petted their way around the Richmond Animal Protection Society’s shelter (RAPS), it’s clear the animals come in many shapes and sizes; some young, some old, some who’ll eventually find a new home; many who won’t.

For the love of animals

In the heart of Richmond’s farmland, well back from a busy road, sit a few trailers and assorted small buildings, all enclosed by a chain-linked fence.

A solitary car, covered in frost on a January morning, is in the parking lot. It looks abandoned, but it’s not – it belongs to 86-year-old Elizabeth Bodnarik, who’s been here since 5:30 a.m. looking after about 500 homeless cats that live here at the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) cat sanctuary.

50 dogs abandoned at Metro Vancouver animal shelters

Several cages containing 38 small dogs were ditched overnight in the parking lot of the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS).

METRO VANCOUVER — A Richmond animal shelter staff’s hands and arms are full after an anonymous donor dropped off more than three dozen dogs and puppies overnight on Friday, while in New Westminster, a security guard found 12 dogs abandoned outside the animal shelter.

Tales of starvation and neglect prompt Richmond to consider new rules to prohibit pet dumping

Owners who abandon pets tough to convict under B.C. law

The evidence of his neglect caused injuries show on Coconut, a cat found abandoned in the bushes off the Shell Road trail trapped inside a pet carrier more than a month ago. The abandoned pet has had several surgeries as he recovers at the Richmond Animal Protection Society facility Tuesday, September 18, 2012 in Richmond, B.C.

The only reason the white Persian cat, described as “tame and lovable,” survived was because nearby berry pickers in Richmond heard his wailing.

Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a no-kill animal services agency that operates the City of Richmond BC shelter and what is now Canada's only cat sanctuary.

Charitable Registration No. 89073 3777 RR0001

The RAPS Animal Hospital is a program of the Regional Animal Protection Society and is not overseen by Government or a Crown corporation and is in no way similar to provincial health authorities and their regional facilities.